gold fish problems

Question
my gold fish is fat, discoloured,has a dark orange spot on it, stays   upside down, un co-ordinated,  catches food pellet with difficulty, aim is not good  

Answer
Hi Ghazala,
Definitely sounds like Swim bladder disorder. The swim bladder is a special organ that most fish have that controls their equilibrium. If something goes wrong with it, the fish will loose total control of their balance and swimming ability. The most common causes to swim bladder are food/diet related. Overfeeding, not enough variety, constipation and not enough fiber are often to blame.... They form blockages in the fishes digestive track which puts pressure on the swim bladder.

The best thing you can do is to fast (not feed) your goldfish for at least 1-2 days and then feed nothing but shelled/mashed green peas. Some fish won't accept them at first but keeping trying. Peas act as a laxative and can help move things along. You can also try feeding a big meal of frozen shrimp which can help push things along if the peas don't work. But definitely look over you fishes diet and determine if my maybe he needs more variety and not so much dry food. Frozen fish foods and vegetables are excellent for variety. Zucchini, Romaine lettuce, Cucumber, peas, and most frozen vegetables are all good.

Some fish take longer than others to recover as well. Some take a few days, others a few weeks. So don't give up on him. As always it never hurts to change their water a little extra just to help boost their immune system.

Swim bladder disorder affects some individual goldfish more than others and if your goldfish is the rounded-bodied fancy type, since their internal organs are more squished together, the more susceptible they are to impaction. Try to watch and make sure your Goldfish passes waste so you'll know if he has constipation, that it is getting better.

Best of luck and I hope this helps!
Karen~